Multi-million scheme: Derkach misappropriated 41.5 hectares of protected lands in Koncha-Zaspa worth over UAH 595 million. PHOTOS

Law enforcement officers have exposed a large-scale scheme to misappropriate nature reserve fund lands in Kyiv worth over UAH 595 million, involving former Member of Parliament Andriy Derkach.

According to Censor.NET, this was announced by the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the Office of the Prosecutor General.

What exactly was misappropriated

The case involves 23 plots of land with a total area of 41.5 hectares, located in the Koncha-Zaspa nature reserve on the banks of the Dnipro.

According to Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, at the time of the deal in 2010, these lands were valued at over 595 million hryvnias.

"A former Member of Parliament from the 'Party of Regions' and currently a Russian senator, set his sights in 2010 on particularly valuable forest fund lands in the 'Koncha-Zaspa' protected area on the banks of the Dnipro. We are talking about 23 plots covering 41.5 hectares, which at the time of the crime were valued at over UAH 595 million," noted Ruslan Kravchenko.

How the scheme worked

The investigation established that Derkach used his political influence and colluded with the then-head of the Obukhiv District State Administration and an official from the local State Committee for Land Resources.

To seize the land, they forged land management documentation, entered false data into the State Land Cadastre, and illegally registered ownership rights to the plots.

Thereafter, the perpetrators proceeded to launder the assets.

For this purpose, the land was repeatedly divided, merged, and resold.

The role of straw persons.

Twenty-three front men – drivers, security guards and other staff linked to the former MP – were involved in the scheme.

State land acts were issued in their names, ostensibly for running personal subsistence farms.

Subsequently, over the course of eight years, these plots were transferred to affiliates of Derkach and his accomplices through a series of fictitious transactions.

What is known about the allegations

The former head of the Obukhiv District State Administration has now been detained.

He has been notified of the charges against him:

Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation of property on a particularly large scale);
Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (laundering of proceeds obtained by criminal means).

Two other suspects have been charged in absentia, as they are currently abroad.

Measures are underway to place them on the international wanted list.